In my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,410 issued May 18, 1993, I describe the construction of a baby seat compartment for use with an over-the-counter type shopping cart. With this type of baby seat compartment, the backrest is retained captive in a position of use by actuable engageable means provided in the backrest and retained within slots provided in the side walls of the baby seat compartment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,882 discloses a similar type baby seat compartment wherein the backrest is retained in engagement when in use. A disadvantage of such baby seat compartments is that these backrests are often in their engaged position and when the user picks up a shopping cart, he will not take the trouble to lower this backrest. The user then places merchandise in both the front basket and the baby seat compartment which also acts as a basket when a child is not seated thereon. The baby seat compartment is located rearwardly of the cart, it is very convenient to the user and small items such as glass jars, are placed in this compartment. Because the rear wall of the baby seat compartment is provided with large openings, constituting leg holes for a child, it often occurs that merchandise will fall through the leg holes and often cause injury to the user or others if the merchandise is breakable. It is also known to provide a seat plate hinged along the lower edge of these leg holes so that when the seat plate is raised, it obstructs these leg holes. My seat plate, as described in an earlier patent, is provided with spring-biasing means which keeps it up against the leg holes, but with many shopping carts, the seat plate is not spring-biased and usually rests horizontally on the bottom wall of the baby seat compartment, in non-obstructing relationship with the leg holes.
With the shopping carts of the type referred to hereinabove, as described in the two patents referred to, the backrest is hinged to collapse forwardly over the bottom wall of the main merchandise-carrying basket. Therefore, when the main basket is lifted to its vertical position for nesting, it must displace the backrest of the baby seat compartment and cause it to automatically move to its disengaged position. If certain ones of the wires are bent in the backrest, it may cause the backrest to jam and prevent the main basket from being tilted to its vertical nesting position. It may also cause the front basket to fall forwardly when placed in its vertical nesting position and cause injury. Furthermore, because the backrests need to be positively engaged, when in use, their construction as well as the construction of the side walls of a baby seat compartment are more complicated in order to provide latching means to engage the backrest.